In a part of the city where streets are usually deserted after nightfall, "The Witches of Oz" has brought to life flying monkeys, a screaming wicked witch and a grown-up Dorothy during the filming of some of its most dramatic climax moments.

Scott said he's "called in a lot of favors" to make the low-budget movie with some well-known actors he'd worked with before, including Christopher Lloyd, Billy Boyd and Lance Henriksen. He's hoping for a small theater release in late spring or early summer 2010.

In the movie, Dorothy has traded the yellow brick road of Oz for the yellow taxis of Manhattan, where she works as a children's book author. But when evil begins to seep into her New York City reality, her modern-day world collides with the dream world of Oz and her friends, everyday folks, surprisingly surface as the Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and Tin Man to battle the Wicked Witch of the West, who is played by Ridgefield resident Eliza Swenson.

"It's like Harry Potter meets Devil Wears Prada," said production supervisor Laura Hill.

Although the movie has a bit of everything -- comedy, action, fantasy and romance -- and feels somewhat like "Back to the Future" or "Ghostbusters," it's really about relationships, said Billy Boyd, the Scottish actor well known for his role as the mischief-oriented hobbit, Pippin, in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

"It's like a big sort of roller coaster ride," said Boyd, who plays a leading role in the film as Nick, a successful Wall Street man who feels something is missing in his life, meets Dorothy in a bar and becomes embroiled in her adventure. "A real fun romp. Once it kicks off it goes at 100 miles per hour."

What is this movie about?
Henry and Jack are two famous and talented pianists: they are rivals and try to outdo each other in the various music events where they regularly compete. They have known each other since their days at the music academy and developed a very strong friendship.

They met Lana there and Jack had an affair with her then. This friendship deteriorated along the years and Lana left Jack for Henry. Jack's resentment towards Henry will increase even further when he realizes that although his talent as a pianist is as great a talent as Henry's, he always ended up second... behind Henry.

Simultaneously, Lana slowly realized that the only thing Henry cares about is his job. When she gets pregnant, he tells her he doesn't want the child and she leaves him, taking refuge with Jack who thus finds a way to get back at Henry. From that point, the former friends will clash with no mercy, from contest to contest until the day a domestic robot, GLENN, enters their lives. GLENN will jeopardize everybody and everything around them but will also lead them into the most challenging soul searching.

He showed everyone his brand new image - a moustache, which makes him look like an Italian drug dealer (or like Brad Pitt in Inglourious Basterds movie) . Well, judge by yourself.

One of the first projects recently closed through the joint venture was Pimp, the latest British Indie picture starring Danny Dyer and Billy Boyd.

PIMP which is currently in post production, is a modern day dark thriller in the gritty vein of films like Rise of the Footsoldier, The Football Factory and The Business. The film follows a week in the life of a Soho pimp – a week that spirals brutally out of control…

Cast includes: Danny Dyer (The Football Factory, Adulthood, The Business, City Rats), Billy Boyd (Master and Commander, The Flying Scotsman, Lord of the Rings ), Martin Compston (Doomsday, Sweet Sixteen, Red Road ), Barbara Nedeljakova (Hostel, Hostel 2) and Robert Cavanah (Lara Croft 2, Wuthering Heights , Hanuman). Robert Cavanah directs the film which he co-wrote with Jon Kirby.

(...) Anyway, it seemed we chatted away for a while and I did manage to ask him a few questions. First Billys characters name is Bernie, and he is Alfred Molina's assistant who is the art forger, so Billy is in it quite a bit. He said the film is a drama, but it has comedic touches. Lawrence said that he loved working with Billy and wants to cast him in his next film! He said Billy was a "sweetheart" and he loved how Billy worked and did exactly what he wanted and added his own little touches which made it perfect. He said it was pretty clear that Billy loves what he does.

I asked about a release and he is looking at March or April and is hoping to get it to Cannes as well. (...)

Watch it e.g. here.

Plus an related article about what was going on on the show :)

FILM STAR BILLY BOYD LEARNS OF HIS BLOCKBUSTER ROLE – ON A BUS!

A phone call received on the bus between Glasgow and Edinburgh was to prove vital for Billy Boyd’s international stardom, when director Peter Jackson phoned to tell him he’d won the role as ‘Pippin’ in the international blockbuster, Lord of the Rings.

Not looking back, Billy upgraded from the bus to the train travelling to and from Edinburgh whilst working on a play at that time.

In the latest programme of the Cuide ri Cathy series on BBC ALBA, Cathy MacDonald spends a day with actor Billy Boyd in Glasgow where he was born, visiting the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and park before taking a trip to the local music studios to watch Billy practise with his band Beecake.

Spending time with Cathy, Billy discusses his career so far and the influences throughout his life. Catching the acting bug as a result of school productions, Billy continued with drama until he left school at 16 to begin work as a printer. It was only after several years in this job that he decided to follow his dream and apply to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

It was his role in the Lord of the Rings trilogy that brought Billy Boyd to prominence and he recounts to Cathy how he managed to land one of the most coveted acting jobs of recent years. Visiting London to record a video with a casting director followed up with a live audition with director Peter Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh, Billy explains to Cathy how he had to keep his reactions under control when he was told he had won the role.

Billy says: “They said that Pete Jackson wants to give you a call in the next couple of days and when would be good – I said ‘whenever’. I remember he called when I was on the bus from Glasgow to Edinburgh whilst working on a play in Edinburgh, so I was trying not to let people hear! He was saying ‘are you sure you want to do this because it is going to be a couple of years in New Zealand?’

“When I was asking him who else was in it, there was no one else at that point! So I spent the next three weeks reading all the rumours online and in the papers that it is going to be Al Pacino, it is going to be whoever – hundreds of names thrown about. I upgraded myself to the train and I read the book for the first time – 45 minutes there and 45 minutes back!”

During Billy and Cathy’s trip to the museum, it is evident that the international star has attracted a huge fan base, not least in Glasgow as Bill is mobbed by a class of school children on a trip to the museum. Spending 15 minutes signing autographs and posing for photos before finally being able to make it into the gallery, the appeal of the charming Glasgow born actor is evident.

Although splitting his time between LA and Glasgow, Billy discusses his love for Scotland and his happiness when he gets the chance to return home. His choice of career was heavily influenced by Scottish movies such as Bill Forsyth’s classic films Gregory’s Girl and Local Hero and Billy tells Cathy that he hopes to have the chance to star in a Scottish feature film himself.

'Lord of the Rings' actor Billy Boyd enjoys chilling out by the sea - and swears that the surf in Scotland beats New Zealand (and Middle Earth). By Kate Langrish

'We went to the coast a lot when I was young - places like Ayr, Troon and Largs. I used to love doing all the traditional things, like crazy golf and playing on the swings. I grew up in inner-city Glasgow, but it was great to be able to lift your head from looking at the golf ball and see the sea. Just being next to the sea made me happy. My two-year-old son, Jack, is obsessed with rockpools - he can stare at one for an hour. But you can see why - rockpools are so intriguing; they're like mini-universes. It's a lesson for modern life: take the time to look and you get more out of things.

'New Zealand's South Island is very similar to Scotland. They say that's why so many Scots settled there. I felt I recognised the coastline when I saw it (during filming for 'Lord of the Rings'). Dunedin really reminded me of the wild beaches around Thurso and the wide expanses around Inverness. Any surfer will tell you it's a gold-star surfing day if you're out with dolphins. It's a little bit of magic, right there. It's amazing to see a wild animal so in charge of its element. You feel a real buzz of energy if you're in with them.

'The seals are the funniest, though. You see this little face pop up and look at you. Then it disappears and you know he's swum underneath to check you out. I once went surfing off an Aberdeen beach and there was just me and this one seal. He must have stayed for nearly two hours, and when I started to paddle to the beach,he came up close. It was like he was trying to stop me from getting out because he was having fun.

Scottish coast with surfers'I love introducing Scottish beaches to friends, especially buddies who think there's no decent surf there. I take them to Machrihanish beach (on the Mull of Kintyre). The drive up is beautiful, then you're greeted by this fantastic beach with mellow waves.

'On the way home, we stopped at Loch Fyne for oysters. I once rented a car because mine had broken down and I'd heard that the waves were really good at Pease Bay in the Borders. I tied the car key to my leg rope, as I always do, before heading into the sea. When I got back to the car, I realised it was one of these electronic keys... and I'd destroyed it. The alarm didn't stop for quite a while.

'There's something about the sea that makes you feel good. After a day at the beach, you feel chilled out. Someone told me it's to do with the waves producing negative ions - I don't know if that's true.

'This summer, I played at the Wicker Man festival in Kirkcudbright with my band Beecake. I was looking forward to setting fire to a man. Not a real man, obviously; a wicker man.'

Other parts: 2 and 3.

Connected to this vid is also a review of their new album. Taken from The Falcon and the Dove.

Glorious Scottish roots, extremely strong songwriting, and the beautiful tenor of Billy Boyd (yes, Pippin from “The Lord of the Rings”, also in “Trainspotting” among other Glaswegian films). What more could you ask for? “Soul Swimming”, the title track of the new Beecake project (the long wait is over) is a powerful combination of melodies and styles. The band is solid as are the tunes. There isn’t a weak song on the CD. What kind of style, you ask? Well, it’s mixed. If you enjoy the music of The Beatles, Alan Parsons Project, early Genesis, and even some edgy stuff like LIVE, Nine Inch Nails, and Pearl Jam, you will probably love this CD. Boyd wrote every song (and co-wrote “Radio” with bassist Rick Martin), and it shows his range not only vocally, which is outstanding, but also his thematic attractions.

Falcon’s personal favorites include the Alan Parson-esque “Lost Direction” including Billy on harmonica, the profoundly brash and stinging “Radio” that questions the capitalist culture, and my favorite, “This is Not an Exit”, a pro-environment, anti-stupid, introspective examination of what makes us collectively queasy. “Rip It Up” has some of the strongest vocal stylizations on the project, there’s a little Dean Martin on the track “Friends and Lovers” and “Boy” may be in the top ten for most emotional songs ever written, examining a parent’s emotional turmoil after their adult child dies in war.

Beecake is wonderful to see live. I was extremely lucky to see them at Tin Angel in Philadelphia, (where I got some lovely birthday gifts) a fantastic venue with yummy food (especially the tuna!). I have to say that I am working my way through their menu, and although half-way there, I have many more dinners to enjoy and awhile before I can get through their wonderful offerings.

For now, enjoy the show on YouTube:

Other parts: 2, 3, 4 and 5.

If you haven't watched the show yet, you definitely should. It's a great fun, although it's quite frightening, too :)